"I am very humbled and honored to become the head coach of the Arkansas Razorbacks," said Bielema. "During my conversation with (athletic director) Jeff (Long) he described the characteristics for the perfect fit to lead this program.

"It was evident we share the same mission, principles and goals. The infrastructure in place at Arkansas shows the commitment from the administration to accomplish our goals together and I am excited to begin to lead this group of student-athletes. This program will represent the state of Arkansas in a way Razorback fans everywhere will be proud of."

The hire caught most off-guard. Bielema earlier this summer told Sporting News: "We (Big Ten) don't want to be like SEC in any way, shape or form."

Now, he is leaving Big Ten country and heading into the toughest conference in college football. His annual contract at Wisconsin was $2.6 million.

"I was very surprised when Bret told me he was taking the offer from Arkansas," said Wisconsin athletic director Barry Alvarez in a statement released Tuesday night. "He did a great job for us during his seven years as head coach, both on the field and off. I want to thank him for his work and wish him the best at Arkansas."

Bielema is in his seventh season at Wisconsin. He was the Badgers' defensive coordinator for two seasons before becoming head coach. He got off to an incredibly fast start as head coach, winning 17 of his first 18 games.

He is a demanding coach with a no-nonsense demeanor, something athletic director Jeff Long thinks the Razorbacks will embrace. It's also a stark contrast to interim funny-man coach, John L. Smith.

"His tough, aggressive style of play has been successful and will be appealing to student-athletes and Razorback fans," Long said. "He not only shares the vision and values for the future of Arkansas football, he embraces them."

Last year, Bielema sealed one of the most successful graduation transfer transactions ever. Quarterback Russell Wilson transferred from N.C. State after graduating and with a final year of eligibility, carried Wisconsin to the Big Ten title and on to the Rose Bowl.

This season, a similar process did not go as smoothly. Quarterback Danny O'Brien transferred from Maryland, but never got into full swing with the Badgers. He was replaced by Joel Stave and after Stave's injury, by fifth-year senior Curt Phillips.

Wisconsin was off to a slow start this year, losing at Oregon State. It appeared to get stronger as the year progressed, but struggled to close out opponents and lost to both Ohio State and Penn State. Because the Buckeyes were ineligible for the postseason, Wisconsin advanced to the Big Ten title game anyway.

Petrino was fired and replaced by Smith, who mustered a 4-8 season that included embarrassing losses to Louisiana-Monroe and Alabama (52-0).

Bielema enters the hyper-competitive recruiting environment of the SEC, where coaches do not play honor the "gentleman's agreement" Bielema accused first-year Ohio State coach Urban Meyer of violating.

If he thought that was challenging, things will only get more intense while fighting for dominance in the SEC every day.